The story of Karan Singh Grover leaving Qubool Hai has been making waves in tellydom for a while now. And while he was quickly replaced by his own buddy Raqesh Vashisth on January 10, avid fans of the

These actors and many more have walked out of the TV shows they helped make popular. But it could soon get very difficult for anyone to quit once they sign a new MoU…

The story of Karan Singh Grover leaving Qubool Hai has been making waves in tellydom for a while now. And while he was quickly replaced by his own buddy Raqesh Vashisth on January 10, avid fans of the show are not ready to accept the change in face…well, not yet. It is too soon. But people who gave Barun Sobti rave reviews for Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon were so annoyed that he quit the show to do a film that they made sure that the serial itself shut down.

Rashmi Desai tried to hold her Uttaran producers to ransom, but that failed and she made a quiet comeback to the show. Fenil Umrigar walked out of Bade Acche Lagte Hain ‘coz she did not want to be negative; Ather Habib left Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai after five years…there are more instances of walkouts than we can remember, hai na?

But it may soon get very difficult for actors, especially in the upper echelons of their world, to quit. A proposed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between actors and producers says that the lead actor in a TV serial will have to stay with his or her role for at least a year, or else get it in writing from the producers that they may terminate their contract. But the actors’ organisation CINTAA does not agree with this, since most actors not only want an exit clause, but also a provision for annual fee hikes.

Is this fair? Each side has plus and minus arguments on the matter, but we think it is all a matter of careful discussion and debate. Which will happen and we hope that some middle ground can be found. Until then, all we can do is cross our fingers and hope our favourite stars will not suddenly decide to leave our favourite serials. After all, the story lines are convoluted enough, why complicate our TV viewing lives! Don’t you agree?